Handler for semiconductor singulation and method therefor

ABSTRACT

A water jet handler ( 200 ) has a loading location ( 205 ), a cutting location ( 210 ), and an unloading location ( 215 ); and two movable mounts ( 240  and a  245 ). As a first movable mount ( 240 ) receives a molded substrate at the loading location ( 205 ), and transports it to the cutting location ( 210 ), a second movable mount ( 245 ) transports singulated semiconductor packages of a previously singulated molded substrate from the cutting location ( 210 ) to the unloading location ( 215 ). As the molded substrate on the first movable mount ( 240 ) is cut in the X direction ( 232 ) by a water jet, the singulated semiconductor packages are unloaded. The molded substrate is then transferred to the second movable mount ( 245 ) on which it is cut in the Y direction ( 272 ) to produce singulated semiconductor packages, as the first movable mount ( 240 ) returns to the loading location ( 205 ), when another molded substrate is loaded.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a handler for semiconductor singulationand more particularly to a handler for semiconductor singulation, wheresingulation is performed with a water jet system.

This application is a 371 of PCT/SG03/00204 filed on Aug. 29, 2003.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As is known, when packaging integrated circuits (IC), multiplesemiconductor dies are arranged on a single substrate. The silicon diesare first bonded to paddles of the substrate or leadframe by a diebonder, interconnecting wires are wire bonded between the dies andconductors on the substrate. Alternatively, flip-chip processes can beused to flip a semiconductor die over and attach the pads on the diesdirectly to the conductors on the substrate. The dies on the substrateare then packaged, such as by encapsulation in mold compound, and themolded substrate is then cut to produce a number of singulatedsemiconductor packages, each having a die encapsulated therein. Theprocess of cutting up the molded substrate is often referred to assingulation.

Typically, the molded substrate is singulated using one or more rotatingdicing saws that cut the molded substrate first along an X axis, andthen along a Y axis. A saw jig with an applied vacuum force, holds themolded substrate against a rubber pad, prior to and, during singulation,and the vacuum also holds the singulated semiconductor packages on therubber pad after singulation.

As semiconductor dies shrink in size, semiconductor packages have alsobeen reducing in size, an example of which is the Quad Flat No-lead(QFN) semiconductor package. When the rotating saw is employed tosingulate QFN packages from a molded substrate, several difficultiesarise in relation to securing the molded substrate and singulated QFNpackages during and after singulation, and in relation to the quality ofthe cut that is obtained.

The rotating saw is a contact cutting process, which exerts considerablelateral forces on the molded substrate during cutting. The vacuum forceon the molded substrate, and indeed on each of the individual packagedsemiconductor dies, must be greater than the lateral force to preventthe individual packaged semiconductor dies from moving, or worst yet,from being thrown off the saw jig.

When the size of the individual packaged semiconductor die is reduced,the holding force on it also reduces, however the lateral force duringcutting remains substantially the same, which compounds the difficultyin securing the individual packaged semiconductor dies. Hence, adisadvantage of the rotating saw is the difficulty in securing theindividual packaged semiconductor dies during cutting.

As saw cutting is a contact process, the molded substrate and theresultant singulated packaged semiconductor dies are subjected toconsiderable mechanical forces during cutting. Hence, anotherdisadvantage of using the rotating sawing, is the risk of damage to thedies in the singulated semiconductor packages, which can adverselyaffect reliability.

Some semiconductor packages, such as the QFN package, include copperportions, which are thicker than the copper portions in other types ofsemiconductor package, such as a ball grid array (BGA) package. Thethicker copper portions are both more difficult to cut through, andsmear and burr on the semiconductor packages when the rotating saw isused for singulation.

Hence, another disadvantage of using the rotating saw is the difficultyin cutting through the copper portions, without smearing and burring onthe individual packaged semiconductor dies.

One alternative to sawing is laser singulation, which is a non-contactprocess. A laser beam cuts the molded substrate by burning andevaporating material from the substrate. However, the wavelength of thelaser beam is selected by the object material, and for compositematerial like the molded substrate with copper and mold compound, thelaser absorbing rates for copper and mold compound are very different.Therefore, a disadvantage of laser singulation is that it is difficultfor the energy from the laser beam to be efficiently absorbed by boththe copper and mold compound, and thus, it is difficult for the laserbeam to cut through the package material.

Another method of singulating semiconductor packages employs a water jetto cut the molded substrate. Water jet cutting is a non-contact process,which uses a jet of water to cut through the molded substrate. The jetof water comprises a stream of extremely high pressure water with anentrained stream of abrasive particles. Water jet cutting is cool, andpossesses a low risk of heat and mechanical damage to both the moldedsubstrate and the resultant singulated semiconductor packages. Inaddition, there are limited restrictions on the material that can be cutby a water jet. Further, as the cutting force is perpendicular to thesurface of the molded substrate, there is little resultant lateral forceon the molded substrate and the resultant singulated semiconductorpackages. Hence, the force required to secure the singulatedsemiconductor packages is lower than that in sawing. In addition, thecutting quality of the water jet is good and stable, with no burring andsmearing.

Unlike the sawing or laser cutting which use one vacuum jig for securingthe molded substrate during cutting, a prior art water jet handler usestwo vacuum jigs to hold the molded substrate. This is because theextremely high pressure of the water jet cuts through almost anymaterial within about 300 mm from the nozzle that provides the waterjet. Consequently, there is a need to ensure a certain amount ofclearance or relief for the water jet, behind the molded substrate.

The prior art water jet handler has a movable chuck table with twovacuum jigs, one with relief slots in the X direction, and the otherwith relief slots in the Y direction. The chuck table can move in the Xand Y directions, and can rotate about a vertical axis, which isparallel to the water jet. Rotation about a vertical axis is oftenreferred to as displacement in the theta direction. All the movements ofthe chuck table is relative to the position of the water jet nozzle.

With reference to FIG. 1, a molded substrate for singulation is loadedonto a first vacuum jig at a loading location, and secured to the firstvacuum jig by an applied vacuum. The chuck table then moves the firstvacuum jig to a cutting location below the nozzle of the water jet,where a vision system operates with the chuck table to align the moldedsubstrate with a cutting line of the water jet system. The moldedsubstrate is then cut in the X direction as the chuck table transportsthe molded substrate transversely across the water jet in the Xdirection. For multiple cuts in the X direction, the operation asdescribed is repeated. Next, the molded substrate, which has been cut inthe X direction, is transferred from the first vacuum jig onto a secondvacuum jig, and secured by an applied vacuum. A second vision alignmentis performed, and the molded substrate is cut in the Y direction, as thechuck table transports the molded substrate transversely across thewater jet. This operation is repeated for each cut in the Y direction.The individual packaged semiconductor dies are now individually held onthe second vacuum jig, and the chuck table moves the second vacuum jigto the loading location, where the individual packaged semiconductordies are unloaded. This process is repeated for each molded substrate.

A disadvantage of the prior art water jet handler is low efficiency, asonly one molded substrate is sequentially processed at a time by thehandler, and actual cutting of the molded substrate is performed foronly part of the sequential process. Hence, the throughput of thehandler is low.

In addition, as the prior art water jet handler loads a molded substrateand unloads the singulated molded substrate at the sameloading/unloading location, the prior art water jet handler is notsuited for integration with in-line manufacturing operations, whereequipment are arranged in sequence. In addition, the low throughput ofthe handler will adversely affect the throughput of the in-linemanufacturing operations.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention seeks to provide a handler for semiconductorsingulation and method therefor, which overcomes, or at least reduces,the above mentioned problems of the prior art.

Accordingly, in one aspect, the present invention provides a handler forsingulating at least one packaged substrate into a plurality of packagedsemiconductor devices, the handler comprising:

a first movable mount for moving between a loading location and acutting location, the first movable mount adapted to receive the atleast one packaged substrate at the loading location, the first movablemount for transporting the at least one packaged substrate from theloading location to the cutting location, and the first movable mountadapted to secure the at least one packaged substrate thereon while theat least one packaged substrate is at least partially cut at the cuttinglocation; and

a second movable mount for moving between the cutting location and anunloading location, the second movable mount adapted to receive the atleast one packaged substrate that is at least partially cut at thecutting location, the second movable mount for securing the at least onepackaged substrate thereon while the at least one packaged substrate isat least partially cut at the cutting location to produce at least someof the plurality of packaged semiconductor devices, and the secondmovable mount for transporting the at least some of the plurality ofpackaged semiconductor devices from the cutting location to theunloading location.

In another aspect the present invention provides a method for handlingat least one packaged substrate for singulation into a plurality ofpackaged semiconductor devices, the method comprising:

a) providing:

-   -   a first movable mount for moving between a loading location and        a cutting location; and    -   a second movable mount for moving between the cutting location        and an unloading location,        b) moving the first movable mount from the loading location to        the cutting location with the at least one packaged substrate        disposed thereon;        c) cutting the at least one packaged substrate in a first        reference direction at the cutting location;        d) transferring the at least one packaged substrate from the        first movable mount to the second movable mount;        e) cutting the at least one packaged substrate in a second        reference direction, different from the first reference        direction, at the cutting location, to produce the plurality of        packaged semiconductor devices; and        f) moving the second movable mount from the cutting location to        the unloading location.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An embodiment of the present invention will now be more fully described,by way of example, with reference to the drawings of which:

FIG. 1 shows a flowchart detailing the operation of a water jet handlerin accordance with the prior art;

FIG. 2A shows a schematic of a water jet handler in accordance withpresent invention;

FIG. 2B shows a functional block diagram of the water jet handler inFIG. 2A;

FIG. 3 shows a flowchart detailing the operation of the water jethandler in FIG. 2A;

FIGS. 4A-4H show top views of the water jet handler in FIG. 2A whenoperating as detailed in FIG. 3; and

FIGS. 5A-5H show side views of the water jet handler in FIG. 2A whenoperating as detailed in FIG. 3.

DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A water jet handler in accordance with the present invention has threedistinct spatially separated locations, which include a loadinglocation, a cutting location, and an unloading location; and two movablemounts. A first movable mount receives a molded substrate at the loadinglocation, transports it from the loading location to the cuttinglocation, and secures the molded substrate as it is cut in the Xdirection by a water jet at the cutting location. The molded substrateis then transferred to a second movable mount at the cutting location,and the second movable mount secures the molded substrate as it is cutin the Y direction to produce singulated semiconductor packages.Concurrently, the first movable mount returns to the loading location,where another molded substrate is loaded. Next, the second movable mounttransports the singulated semiconductor packages from the cuttinglocation to the unloading location, while at the same time, the firstmovable mount, with the other molded substrate, moves from the loadinglocation to the cutting location. Then, while the singulatedsemiconductor packages are unloaded from the second movable mount at theunloading location, the first movable mount secures the other moldedsubstrate as it is cut in the X direction at the cutting location.

The handler in accordance with the present invention, as is describedbelow, advantageously allows concurrent action to be performed, whichimproves throughput to become better than the sequential processing ofthe prior art handler. In addition, as the loading and unloadinglocations are separated, the handler can be more readily integrated inan in-line manufacturing operation.

With reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B, a water jet handler 200 has threelocations: a loading location 205, a cutting location 210, and anunloading location 215. The three locations 205-215 are arranged in anin-line sequence adjacent to each other, with the loading location 205at one end, the unloading location 215 at the opposite end, and thecutting location 210 between the two locations 205 and 215.

The water jet handler 200 comprises, a rectangular base plate 220 withthe three locations 205-215 thereon. The base plate 220 has an opening225 that is centrally located in the cutting location 210, and a pair ofparallel table tracks 230 on the upper surface 235. The parallel tabletracks 230 are centrally located on the base plate 220, and extendlengthwise from the loading location 205, through the cutting location210, to the unloading location 215.

A first movable mount 240 is coupled to an X direction actuator assembly299A, which moves the first movable mount 240 on the table tracks 230 inthe X direction 232 between the loading location 205 and the cuttinglocation 210. The X direction actuator assembly 299A is coupled to acontroller 299B to receive movement instructions, that control themovement of the first movable mount 240 in the X direction 232.

Similarly, a second movable mount 245 is coupled to an X directionactuator assembly 299C, which moves the second movable mount 245 on thetable tracks 230 in the X direction 232 between the cutting location 210and the unloading location 215. The X direction actuator assembly 299Cis also coupled to the controller 299B to receive movement instructions,which controls the movement of the second movable mount 245 in the Xdirection 232.

The first and second movable mounts 240 and 245 are moved independentlyby first and second servomotors (not shown), which form part of the Xdirection actuator assemblies 299A and 299C, respectively. In addition,when positioned at the cutting location 210, during cutting, the firstand second movable mounts 240 and 245 move to and fro in the X direction232, under the control of the controller 299B, to guide a water jetacross the width or length of a molded substrate.

The first movable mount 240 includes a first rotatable section 250, witha first vacuum chuck 255, and the second movable mount 245 includes asecond rotatable section 260, with a second vacuum chuck 265. Each ofthe first and second vacuum chucks 255 and 265, secures a moldedsubstrate (not shown), cut portions of the molded substrate, andsingulated semiconductor packages, thereon, when a vacuum is applied.The vacuum chucks 255 and 265 are both coupled to the controller 299B,which controls their operation.

The first rotatable section 250 is coupled to a rotation actuatorassembly 299D, the second rotatable section 260 is coupled to a rotationactuator assembly 299E, and both the rotation actuator assembly 299D and299E, are coupled to the controller 299B to receive rotationinstructions therefrom, which support alignment of the molded substratewith the water jet.

The loading location 205 includes a first video camera 270 that iscoupled to a vision system 299F, which forms part of the controller299B. The first video camera 270 is mounted on a first Y directionactuator assembly 299G, which is coupled to the controller 299B. Thefirst Y direction actuator assembly 299G comprises a first gantry 275with a servomotor 277. The servomotor 277 moves the first video camera270 in the Y direction 272 along the first gantry 275 to transport it toa desired position. The first video camera 270 is for directing at amolded substrate that is loaded on the first movable mount 240, when thefirst movable mount 240 is at the loading location 205.

In operation, the first video camera 270 captures images of the moldedsubstrate at the loading location 205 as determined by the controller299B, and provides the captured images to the vision system 299F. Thevision system 299F processes the captured images to determine alignmentof the molded substrate with a reference cutting line (not shown) of thewater jet. The controller 299B then provides movement instructions tothe X direction actuator assembly 299A and rotation instructions to therotation actuator assembly 299D, to align the molded substrate with thereference cutting line.

At the cutting location 210, a water jet nozzle 280, a height detectingsensor or distance detector 282, and a second video camera 284, aremounted on a beam 286, which is supported on second and third gantries288A and 288B. A servomotor 290, which is part of a Y direction actuatorassembly 299H that is coupled to the controller 299B, moves the beam 286in the Y direction 272 to a desired position, and thereby moves thewater jet nozzle 280, the height detecting sensor 282, and the secondvideo camera 284, in the Y direction 272, to a position determined bythe controller 299B for alignment.

When the first movable mount 240 is in the cutting location 210, amolded substrate on the first movable mount 240 is positioned by thecontroller 299B, in accordance with the cutting line reference of thewater jet based on alignment performed at the loading location 205, asdescribed earlier. At the cutting location 210, the first movable mount240 holds the molded substrate over the opening 225 to provide relief orclearance for the water jet during cutting. The water jet from the waterjet nozzle 280 cuts the molded substrate, as the first movable mount 240moves to and fro in the X direction 232 under the control of thecontroller 299B. In addition, the servomotor 290 moves the beam 286, andhence the jet nozzle 280, along the Y direction 272 from one cut to thenext in the X direction 232. In this way, the water jet makes aplurality of widthwise cuts through the molded substrate in the Xdirection 232.

The height-detecting sensor 282 detects the distance between the waterjet nozzle 280 and the molded substrate in the Z direction 293, andprovides detected distance information to the controller 299B. Inresponse, the controller 299B provides distance adjustment data to avertical actuator 292. The vertical actuator 292 is part of a Zdirection actuator assembly 299I, which adjusts the distance of thewater jet nozzle 280 from the molded substrate to a predetermineddistance i.e. in the Z direction 293, in accordance with adjusteddistance received from the controller 299B. In this way, the distancebetween the water jet nozzle 280 and the molded substrate is maintained,substantially at the desired distance by the controller 299B.

A pick and place assembly 294 at the cutting location 210 is coupled tothe controller 299B, and picks up the molded substrate from the firstmovable mount 240, after cutting of the molded substrate in the Xdirection 232 is completed. The first movable mount 240 then moves awayfrom the cutting location 210, and the second movable mount 245 movesfrom the unloading location 215 to the cutting location 210. The pickand place assembly 294 then loads the molded substrate on the secondmovable mount 245, where a vacuum is applied to secure it to the secondvacuum chuck 265. The second video camera 284, which is coupled to thevision system 299F, is for directing at the molded substrate on thefirst movable mount 240, when the first movable mount 240 is at thecutting location 210. Similar to the first video camera 270, inoperation, the second video camera 284 captures images of the moldedsubstrate at the cutting location 210, and provides the captured imagesto the vision system 299F. The vision system 299F then processes thecaptured images to determine alignment of the molded substrate with thereference cutting line of the water jet. The controller 299B thenprovides movement and rotation instruction to the X direction actuatorassembly 299C and the rotation actuator assembly 299E. In response, therotatable section 260 rotates the molded substrate to align with thereference cutting line of the water jet, thus achieving alignment.

At the cutting location 210, the second movable mount 245 holds themolded substrate over the opening 225 to provide relief or clearance forthe water jet during cutting. As the water jet from the water jet nozzle280, cuts the molded substrate, under the control of the controller299B, the servo motor 290 moves the beam 286, and hence the jet nozzle280, to and fro along the Y direction 272, and the second movable mount245 steps from one cut to the next in the X direction 232. In this way,the water jet makes a plurality of lengthwise cuts through the moldedsubstrate in the Y direction 272.

After the water jet has completed cutting, the second movable mount 245moves from the cutting location to the unloading location 215, whereanother pick and place assembly 296, which is coupled to the controller299B, unloads the now singulated semiconductor packages from the secondmovable mount 245.

With reference to FIG. 3, FIGS. 4A-H and FIGS. 5A-H, the operation 300of the water jet handler 200 will now be described.

Referring to FIGS. 4A and 5A, the operation 300 starts 305 when a firstmolded substrate 405 is loaded 310 on the first vacuum chuck 255 of thefirst movable mount 240; and an applied vacuum then secures the firstmolded substrate 405 thereon. Typically, a pick and place assembly (notshown) picks the first molded substrate 405 from a previous process,such as a molding machine, and places the first molded substrate 405 onthe first vacuum chuck 255. A first vision alignment is then performed315 on the first molded substrate 405 with images captured by the firstvideo camera 270.

Referring to FIGS. 4B and 5B, when vision alignment is completed, thefirst movable mount 240 moves 320 from the loading location 205 to thecutting location 210, as indicated by arrow 415; and the second movablemount 245 moves 320 from the cutting location 210 to the unloadingposition 215, as indicated by arrow 420.

Referring to FIGS. 4C and 5C, a water jet 505 from the water jet nozzle280 cuts 325 the first molded substrate 405 widthwise in the X direction232, as the first movable mount 240 repeatedly moves to and fro in the Xdirection 232, as indicated by arrow 425. The servomotor 290 steps thewater jet 505 in the Y direction 272, and cutting 325 by the water jet505 proceeds until the whole of the first molded substrate 405 has beencut widthwise.

Referring to FIGS. 4D and 5D, the pick and place assembly 294 at thecutting location 210, then picks 330 the first molded substrate 405 offthe first vacuum chuck 255 and holds on to it, while the first movablemount 240 moves 335 from the cutting location 210 back to the loadinglocation 205, as indicated by arrow 430. At about the same time, thesecond movable mount 245 moves 335 from the unloading location 215 tothe cutting location 210, as indicated by arrow 435.

Referring to FIGS. 4E and 5E, the first molded substrate 405 is placed340 on the second vacuum chuck 265 by the pick and place assembly 294,at the cutting location 210. The pick and place assembly 294 may rotatethe first molded substrate 405 through a right angle prior to placing340 the first molded substrate 405 on the second vacuum chuck 265.Alternatively, the second rotatable section 260 may rotate the firstmolded substrate 405 through a right angle, after the first moldedsubstrate 405 is placed 340 on the second vacuum chuck 265. Next, asecond vision alignment of the first molded substrate 405 is performed345 at the cutting location 210 with images obtained from the videocamera 284.

Referring to FIGS. 4F and 5F, at the cutting location 210, the water jet505 cuts 350 the first molded substrate 405 length-wise, as theservomotor 290 moves the water jet nozzle 280 forward and backwardacross the first molded substrate 405 in the Y direction 272, asindicated by arrow 440. Here, the servomotor 290 moves the water jet 505in the Y direction 272, and the second movable mount 245 steps in the Xdirection 232 until the whole of the first molded substrate 405 is cutlengthwise. The molded substrate 405 is now singulated, and thesingulated semiconductor packages are secured to the second vacuum chuck265.

Meanwhile, at the loading location 205, a second molded substrate 410 isloaded 310 on the first vacuum chuck 255, and a first vision alignmentis performed 315 on the second molded substrate 410 with the imagesobtained from the first video camera 270.

Referring to FIGS. 4G and 5G, the first movable mount 240 moves 320 fromthe loading location 205 to the cutting location 210, as indicated byarrow 445; and the second movable mount 245 moves 320 from the cuttinglocation 210 to the unloading location 215, as indicated by arrow 450.

Referring to FIGS. 4H and 5H, at the unloading location 215, thesingulated semiconductor packages of the first molded substrate 405 arepicked off or unloaded 355 from the second vacuum chuck 265 by thesecond pick and place assembly 296. The second pick and place assembly296, then disposes the singulated semiconductor packages of the firstmolded substrate 405 to, for example, a packing machine, such as atape-and-reel packing machine.

At about the same time, at the cutting location 210, the water jet 505cuts the second molded substrate 410 in the X direction 232, and theprocess 300 continues, as described earlier for each molded substrate.

Hence, the present invention, as described advantageously provides awater jet handler that has improved throughput, and is more easilyintegrated in in-line manufacturing operations.

This is accomplished by having a loading location; a cutting location;and an unloading location, with a first movable mount that moves betweenthe loading location and the cutting location, and a second movablemount that moves between the cutting location and the unloadinglocation. A molded substrate on the first movable mount is transportedfrom the loading location to the cutting location and then cut in the Xdirection, while another molded substrate that was previously cut in theX direction at the cutting location, transferred to the second movablemount and cut in the Y direction at the cutting location, is transportedto the unloading location and unloaded.

The two movable mounts advantageously allow concurrent operations to beperformed on two molded substrates, with cutting performed at commoncutting location.

In addition, separation of the loading and unloading locations allow thewater jet handler to be more readily integrated into in-linemanufacturing operations.

Thus, the present invention, as described provides a handler forsemiconductor singulation and method therefor, which overcomes or atleast reduces the abovementioned problems of the prior art.

It will be appreciated that although only a particular embodiment of theinvention has been described in detail, various modifications andimprovements can be made by a person skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention.

1. A method for cutting at least one packaged substrate, the methodcomprising: a) providing: a water jet cutting tool for supplying a waterjet; a first movable mount for moving between a loading location and acutting location; and a second movable mount for moving between thecutting location and an unloading location; b) moving the first movablemount from the loading location to the cutting location with the atleast one packaged substrate disposed thereon; c) while the at least onepackaged substrate is disposed on the first movable mount, cutting theat least one packaged substrate in a first reference direction using thewater jet supplied by the water jet cutting tool at the cuttinglocation; d) transferring the at least one packaged substrate from thefirst movable mount to the second movable mount at the cutting location;e) while the at least one packaged substrate is disposed on the secondmovable mount, cutting the at least one packaged substrate in a secondreference direction, the second reference direction being perpendicularto the first reference direction, using the water jet supplied by thewater jet cutting tool at the cutting location to produce a plurality ofpackaged semiconductor devices; and f) moving the second movable mountfrom the cutting location to the unloading location for transporting theplurality of packaged semiconductor devices to the unloading location.2. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising loading the atleast one packaged substrate on the first movable mount.
 3. A method inaccordance with claim 1 further comprising unloading the plurality ofpackaged semiconductor devices from the second movable mount.
 4. Amethod in accordance with claim 1 further comprising aligning the atleast one packaged substrate on the first movable mount relative to thewater jet cutting tool.
 5. A method in accordance with claim 1 furthercomprising aligning the at least one packaged substrate on the secondmovable mount relative to the water jet.
 6. A method in accordance withclaim 1, further comprising: determining a distance between the waterjet cutting tool and the at least one packaged substrate; and displacingthe water jet cutting tool relative to the at least one packagedsubstrate for adjusting the distance therebetween.
 7. A method inaccordance with claim 1 wherein (f) further comprises unloading theplurality of packaged semiconductor devices from the second movablemount at the unloading location.
 8. A method in accordance with claim 1wherein (c) further comprises moving the first movable mount in thefirst reference direction for facilitating cutting of the at least onepackaged substrate in the first reference direction.
 9. A method inaccordance with claim 1 wherein (c) further comprises directing thewater jet along the second reference direction for facilitating cuffingof the at least one packaged substrate along multiple parallel lines inthe first reference direction.
 10. A method in accordance with claim 1wherein (e) further comprises rotating the packaged substrate on thesecond movable mount before moving the second movable mount in the firstreference direction for facilitating cutting of the at least onepackaged substrate.
 11. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein (e)further comprises moving the water jet in the second reference directionfor facilitating cutting of the at least one packaged substrate in thesecond reference direction.
 12. A method in accordance with claim 1,wherein (d) comprises: picking the at least one packaged substrate offthe first movable mount; and moving the first movable mount from thecutting location to the loading location, moving the second movablemount from the unloading location to the cutting location, and placingthe at least one packaged substrate picked off the first movable mountonto the second movable mount.
 13. An apparatus for cutting a packagedsubstrate comprising: a set of transport guides having a length thatextends in a first direction between a loading location, a cuttinglocation, and an unloading location, the cutting location being disposedbetween the loading location and the unloading location; a first movablemount coupled to the set of transport guides, the first movable mountcomprising a first rotatable section; a second movable mount coupled tothe set of transport guides, the second movable mount comprising asecond rotatable section; a first gantry extending in a second directionand bridging at least a portion of the set of transport guides, thesecond direction being perpendicular to the first direction; and a waterjet cutting tool coupled to the first gantry and displaceable therealongin the second direction at the cutting location.
 14. The apparatus as inclaim 13, wherein the first movable mount is displaceable along the setof transport guides between the loading location and the cuttinglocation, the first movable mount receiving the packaged substrate atthe loading location before being displaced along the set of transportguides for transferring the packaged substrate to the cutting location.15. The apparatus as in claim 14, wherein a plurality of cuts are madethrough the packaged substrate in the first direction when the packagedsubstrate is disposed on the first movable mount.
 16. The apparatus asin claim 15, wherein the second movable mount is displaceable along theset of transport guides between the cutting location and the unloadinglocation, the second movable mount receiving the packaged substrate fromthe first movable mount at the cutting location.
 17. The apparatus as inclaim 16, wherein the second rotatable section rotates the packagedsubstrate disposed on the second movable mount for facilitating cuttingthereof in the second direction.
 18. The apparatus as in claim 17,wherein the water jet cutting tool comprises at least one water jetnozzle for supplying a water jet for cutting the packaged substrate ineach of the first and second directions.
 19. The apparatus as in claim18, wherein the water jet comprises at least one abrasive material. 20.The apparatus as in claim 18, further comprising a distance detectormounted proximal the at least one water jet nozzle, the distancedetector operable for determining a distance between the at least onewater jet nozzle and the packaged substrate.
 21. The apparatus as inclaim 18, further comprising an actuator coupled to the at least onewater jet nozzle, the actuator being operable for displacing the atleast one water jet nozzle to thereby adjust the distance between the atleast one water jet nozzle and the packaged substrate.
 22. An apparatusfor cutting a packaged substrate comprising: a set of transport guideshaving a length that extends in a first direction between a loadinglocation, a cutting location, and an unloading location, the cuttinglocation being disposed between the loading location and the unloadinglocation; a first movable mount coupled to the set of transport guides,the first movable mount comprising a first rotatable section; a firstimage capture device configured for capturing an image of the packagedsubstrate disposed on the first movable mount; a second movable mountcoupled to the set of transport guides, the second movable mountcomprising a second rotatable section; a first gantry extending in asecond, the second direction being perpendicular to the first direction;and a water jet cutting tool coupled to the first gantry anddisplaceable therealong in the second direction at the cutting location.23. The apparatus as in claim 22, further comprising a second imagecapture device for capturing an image of the packaged substrate disposedon the second movable mount.
 24. The apparatus as in claim 13, furthercomprising a pick and place assembly configured to transfer the packagedsubstrate from the first movable mount to the second movable mount. 25.A method for singulating a packaged substrate comprising: loading apackaged substrate onto a first movable mount at a loading location;transferring the first movable mount to a cutting location; cutting thepackaged substrate in a first direction; transferring the packagedsubstrate onto a second movable mount; cutting the packaged substrate ina second direction; and transferring the second movable mount to anunloading location, wherein at least one of cutting the packagedsubstrate in the first direction and cutting the packaged substrate inthe second direction is performed using a water jet while the packagedsubstrate is disposed on one of the first movable mount and the secondmovable mount.
 26. The method as in claim 25, wherein each of cuttingthe packaged substrate in the first direction and cutting the packagedsubstrate in the second direction is performed at the cutting location.27. The method as in claim 26, wherein the first direction and thesecond direction are orthogonal.
 28. The method as in claim 27, furthercomprising: adjusting a distance between the water jet cutting tool andthe packaged substrate at the cutting location; and aligning thepackaged substrate relative to the water jet cutting tool at the cuttinglocation.
 29. The method as in claim 28 wherein transferring the firstmovable mount to the cutting location and transferring the secondmovable mount to the unloading location occur in a generallysimultaneous synchronized manner.